Fashion Week Spring / Summer 2016: Hanley Mellon

Hanley Mellon

Inspired by Havana, the Hanley Mellon husband/wife duo cranked out a show full of fun, unexpected prints and truly delightful, wearable separates. It's refreshing to view during fashion week a whole collection of colorful sportswear with a hip twist (see head scarves, pointed-toe buckle boots paired with everything). Long, sleeveless tunics, short flirty skirts, and a group of cool whites make Hanley Mellon a go-to for work and play. Highlights included side-wrapped bronze pants paired with a long checked jacket, and the overall modern '70s vibe with a Cuban twist, neither of which, thank goodness, were taken too far. Just right perfectly sums up this breezy and covet-able collection.

  

Fashion Week Fall / Winter 2015: Parkchoonmoo, Ready to Fish, and Oudifu

Parkchoonmoo 

This presentation really illustrated the principle of less-is-more. A curated palette of blacks, grays, and ivorys set a stage upon which to showcase Park’s main talents; shape and texture. Each outfit at first seemed minimalist and simple, but this was beguiling; as you took them in you began to see beautiful details of folds, flanges, and layers.

Equally fascinating was the texture-trade-off; was it Persian Lamb or blistered nylon? Raw fur or intricately woven fiber from the test tube? This wonderful tension between natural and tech (all the while whispering ‘luxe’), was what set these clothes apart. 

Bonus features were the static-like gradient motifs and unapologetically functional ‘gravity-boot’ footwear that finished the look very well. 

Future met Fenimine here; definitely wear-of-choice for the [William] Gibson Girl.

                                                                     Photos from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Ready to Fish

If you’re looking for the perfect outfit in which to lean casually against the wall of a penthouse, look no further than Ready to Fish. The collection is absolutely perfect for the woman who would rather forego fussy clothing and stick with impeccable basics. In this collection, the draping serves as embellishment and color as an accessory. The only actual accessory was solid-colored headscarves that recalled a posthumous Jacob Marley from A Christmas Carol (not to say that I wasn’t jealous of their warmth on that blustery February day). The minimal lines and perfect tailoring spoke to the designer’s training at Donna Karan. 

Photos from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Oudifu

The elephant loomed large at Oudifu at the designer's first foray into the American market for fall 2015, and combined with designer Zhuliang Li's "all-in-one" styles for all body types, created an eminently wearable and classic collection. Keep an eye on this Chinese luxury ready-to-wear brand, and if you can, add one of his print dresses or flowing tops to your closet this fall.

Photos from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Fashion Week Fall / Winter 2015: Asia Fashion Collection and Venexiana

Asia Fashion Collection

This group show featured six up-and-coming Asian designers participating in the Asia Fashion Collection incubator program. Though the designers hailed from Taiwan and Hong Kong primarily, the show had a distinctly American vibe from the models’ fresh faces, girl-next-door straight hair, and American top 40s music (including Kanye West’s Black Skinhead, Azaelia Banks’ 212, and Wolf Mother’s Woman). 

ZOKUZOKUB opened the show with a line of streetwear that would be interpreted as edgy and hard but for its gorgeous pastel prints. The best feature of this collection was a sheath dress that would make any woman feel like a feminine samurai at work. Other pieces in the collection included the bomber jacket you’ve always wanted to wear to Easter Brunch, and floss-wrapped statement necklaces. 

NelsonBlackle showed a line of men’s tunics, styled underneath with a bare leg. So guys, if you’ve always wanted to rock a sweater dress, this is your year.

Photos from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week


Venexiana

One of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week's most predictably fun and high-energy shows, designer Kati Stern did not disappoint for Fall 2015. Look for her stunning and show-stopping gowns at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, and expect to make a grand entrance because Stern's gowns hug curves, accentuate the wearer's beauty, and flawlessly display perfect tailoring and embellishment in evening-wear. Impossible to choose just one favorite, as for fall Stern's palette is full of irresistible metallics, deep forest greens, and burnt autumn reds.

Photos from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week